The Best Deviled Potato Skins Ever!!

My apologies for the late post. I became a Mother last weekend. How crazy is that?

I decided to foster a little kitten and I’ve had some adjusting to do with having an animal in my house. I love animals but I’m not what you call an animal person – someone who finds joy in caring for an animal. Don’t get me wrong, I love Kitten, the name I call him even though he’s been named Patch by a friend of mine who actually found him. However, I am honest with myself about how much time and energy it takes to be a pet owner.

Kitten demanding cuddle time

Kitten is 10 weeks hold and is quite curious about any and everything in my apartment and on my body. He loves to cuddle, paw at my house plants, try to get in the shower with me, sit on my chest and sniff my mouth, as well as sit on my keyboard as I am trying to type. While these things are so darned cute I want to cry, they can be distracting since I work from home. Which is why I worked from here on Friday.

Palisade Park Santa Monica, CA

Palisade Park Santa Monica, CA

Not bad at all, especially since I trotted across PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) to hit the beach after I was done writing, but you get the jest of what I’m trying to say. I learned a lot about myself this past week while looking after Kitten, and one thing is certain, I am not ready to be a Mom to anything that requires more than a twice a week watering (my house plants and my small urban garden).

I am actively seeking the perfect home and owner for Kitten so if you or someone you know lives in the Los Angeles area and wants a beautiful, playful, neutered, house trained, litter trained kitty, please contact me directly at gaiagoodnessnaturalfoods@gmail.com.

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Even though I’ve been busy being a Mama, I still found time to play in the kitchen and create another tasty recipe. We’ve all had potato skins at some point in our lives, and if you haven’t then skip it and try my recipe for Deviled Potato Skins instead. It’s literally potato skins ‘turnt’ all the way up! And yes, I meant to say ‘turnt’. These potato skins are absolutely delicious and I even submitted this recipe to the Eggland’s Best recipe contest.

You will need potatoes of course. You can use whatever kind of potato you choose, and whatever size just be sure to adjust the measurements and cooking time accordingly. I used large baking potatoes because I served mine as a main dish but you can use smaller potatoes and serve it has an appetizer and these would be a winner at any football party.

While the potatoes are the main ingredient, the true stars of this recipe are the blue cheese and bacon. I don’t have to tell you about the awesomeness that both these ingredients bring to any meal. Let’s be real, bacon and cheese just makes things taste better, no matter what it is. Putting the two together is like fireworks exploding in a perfectly black sky on a warm Summer night with a cool breeze…

Okay, I’m back from my day trip to dreamland. That happens sometimes when I’m taking about bacon.

I also added eggs and cream cheese to the potato filling to help bind all the ingredients together and give it a creamier more rich texture than you would find in your traditional ‘skin’. For a more bold and robust flavor I added Worcestershire sauce and shallots, which gives a nice punch. Then to round out all the flavors and add a bit of green to this decadence, I threw in some frozen spinach. De.Li.Ci.Ous!!

Deviled Potato Skins

You can serve these babies with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt with chopped chives sprinkled on top. Your tastebuds will thank you! Check out the recipe below and give it a try. Let me know how it turns out. If you use a different kind of potato, please share your results by commenting below.

Enjoy!

Deviled potato skins – makes 4 – 8 servings

2 large baking potatoes

1 pk. Cream cheese softened

5 oz blue cheese

5 strips bacon cooked

2 eggs

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbsp melted butter

¼ tsp salt

¼ dried dill

1/8 tsp black pepper

1 pk frozen spinach thawed and squeeze drained of moisture

1 medium shallot

1. Wash and blot dry potatoes
2. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 45-60 minutes or until tender in the center.
3. Allow potatoes to cool enough to handle.
4. Cook bacon until chewy with a little crisp, drain off fat, and chop into bite sized pieces.
5. Heat butter in a skillet over a medium flame
6. Saute chopped shallots until they start to caramelize
7. Add spinach and season with salt and pepper. Saute until the spinach is heated through.
8. Turn of flame.
9. Split potatoes in half length wise.
10. Using a spoon, scoop out as much of the inside of each potato half without damaging the outer skin.
11. Place the potato “meat” into the food processor with softened cream cheese, dried dill, and Worcestershire sauce, blend until thoroughly combined.
12. Add in eggs one at a time, blending thoroughly between each egg.
13. Transfer potato mixture, bacon pieces, and spinach mixture to a large bowl.
14. Add blue cheese to the bowl and combine all the ingredients thoroughly.
15. Rub the outer skin of each potato half with olive oil and sea salt.
16. Place the halves skin side down in a greased baking dish
17. Fill each half with the potato filling, all the way to the top.
18. Place baking dishes in a 375 degree oven for 40 minutes or until the tops turn golden.
19. Take the potatoes out of the oven and top with mozzarella cheese.
20. Place the potatoes back in the oven for another 8-10 mins or until the cheese starts to bubble and turn golden.
21. Remove the potatoes from the oven, allow to cool for about 10 minutes and then serve!
22. Enjoy with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt.